Frigid
by Michelle Loves Chocolate 99
Summary: Unwanted frigid temperatures usually lead to unwanted harsh events. How can the Curtis family make it through this tough time?
1. Chapter 1

**Just a little last minute idea I randomly thought off. It's a short start, but enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders, or it's characters.**

* * *

 **Frigid**

 **1**

"Here, have a soda." Two-Bit grinned, handing his pal a bottle of cold Coca-Cola. "Have a _soda_."

Sodapop Curtis raised an eyebrow. The night was cold and almost freezing, the atmosphere was kicking, and Two-Bit was trying to crack a joke while sober. In other words, he wasn't being really funny. Steve's eyes rolled, snatching the bottle out of Two-Bit's hands immediately cracking its seal.

"I need alcohol, Two-Bit, not this bubbly sugar shit." Steve's lips touched the glass, drowning the bottle in seconds. "Caffeine just doesn't hype you up enough."

"We don't need alcohol to have a great night guys," Soda said, watching Steve drop the glass bottle onto the concrete. The bottle shattered into millions of pieces below the three, blending into the icy sidewalk as if it belonged.

"Stevie!" Evie squealed as she came into the scene, with a blonde in tow. She smiled from ear to ear, and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed his cheek, and rested her head on his shoulder. "When's the race starting?"

"'Bout half an hour," Two-Bit said. He looked over at the blonde Evie brought along; moving his eyes up and down her body, he couldn't help but grin. "Who's ya friend? Is she going to start the race?"

Evie lifted her head off of Steve's shoulder. "Nah, this is Sandy. She's just tagging along with me for the night. Sandy, this is Two-Bit and Soda."

"Interesting names." Sandy smiled at the both of them. "It's awfully cold and icy for a drag race, don't you boys think?"

Soda shrugged. "Nah, these roads are treated. We'll be fine."

"You won't be fine when I beat your ass in this race." Steve gently pushed his girlfriend off his body. "I need a beer. Two-Bit, enough of these child drinks. We need the real stuff."

oOo

Soda never drank, but when he did, he knew his limits and kept it light. He let the bottle shatter onto the ground and made his way to the car. He never really knew where these cars came from. They were always just provided per race.

"Soda," Two-Bit opened the driver door for his friend. "My money's on YOU rather than Stevie over here." Two-Bit looked over at his other friend, who had his tongue shoved down his girlfriend's throat. "You're the responsible one. I don't want to see any accidents tonight buddy!"

Sodapop dusted Two-Bit off the driver door. "Please, the chance of anybody getting into an accident tonight are too slim. I'm a pro at this, anyway."

The sixteen year old sat down into the driver's seat, shutting the door and tugging the seat belt in front of his body. Evie made her way between the two cars in the road.

"Alrighty, boyssss," her half drunken voice announced. "Ssstart your engines!"

Engines were turned over, releasing a roar into the night sky. Evie gave her boyfriend a good luck wink, and waved a flag to begin the race. The two cars flew off into the dark night distance and the drunk teens all cheered.

oOo

"I can't believe you beat me!" Steve jumped out of his car. Making his way towards his best friend. "How did you beat me?"

"Who cares? I just won twenty bucks off of Curly Shepherd." Two-Bit waved two tens in front of Steve's face. "Take that loser. You lose, Soda wins… and so do I!"

Soda rolled his eyes, snatching a ten out of Two-Bit's hands and stashing it into this pocket. "Sorry, Steve. You can't win every time. Guess tonight's my lucky night?"

"Hell, it's my lucky night too, I won a bet against Curly Shepard. Boys, we need to celebrate. I'll buy you both a beer, but Stevie, you gotta get over your loss. I can't deal with that ego of yours."

"The day you stop calling me Stevie is the day I'll lower my ego."

Two-Bit gave his famous grin, waving the ten in the air. "Boysssss, we getting drunk tonight. To hell with being sober!"

Steve grabbed the ten out of Two-Bits hands. "Yep. We sure getting drunk off of ten dollars."

oOo

Johnny stared into the static and snow on the TV. It was too late for anything to be airing on television right now. The clock read eleven and Ponyboy was passed out on the couch with a book placed opened on his chest. It was late and he needed to head home before his parents noticed but he promised Soda he wouldn't leave Ponyboy home alone until either he, or their parents returned.

"Pony?"

"Huh?" Ponyboy's eyes stayed shut as his half asleep voice murmured.

"What time did you brother say he was going to be out?"

"Eleven."

"You're parents?"

Pony threw his hands on his face. Rubbing his eyes while he leaned up on the couch, the book falling from his chest to his lap.

"My parents said they'd be out until about one. Johnny, if ya need to leave, you can. I don't need no babysitter. I'm thirteen."

"I know you don't need a babysitter." Johnny crawled over to the TV, turning it off. "It's just too cold. I don't really want to walk home."

"You can stay here. My parents don't mind. You're their favorite out of the entire gang."

Johnny stood up from the floor. It was true. The Curtis' loved every single member of the gang, but they always had a special place for Johnny. The boy saw headlights shine through the window and felt relieved.

"I know that. But it looks like Soda and Steve are back from the race."

"Ugh. I just wish for once they'd let us go with them- and by us I mean me, myself, and I. Of course they'd let you tag along if you asked. It's boring here. Soda's always going out to races with Two-Bit and Steve. Dallas is in jail right now and Darry's in college."

Johnny shrugged. "At least Dar's doing something with his life."

"Yeah, but I just wish I had more of a part of his life. That Soda, Mom and Dad and I existed outside of the holidays."

"Careful what you wish for, Pony. Darry cares, after all he was just here for a week ago for Christmas and New Years."

Ponyboy opened his book. Things were different than they used to be. He felt more distant from his brothers than before. He felt like his family was just him and his parents rather than all five of them. He almost wished Darry wasn't in college and still lived with them. If Darry still lived in the house, he'd get to see him more, and Pony would have to share a room with Soda again. If Darry moved back in, everything would be normal-ish again.

As Pony flipped through the pages trying to find where he left off, a loud knock pounded on the door. The two boys looked at each other.

"Why does Soda always forget his keys?" Johnny asked.

Pony shrugged. "Why does Soda come home late all the time? Why does he always have to be anywhere BUT home? Questions only Soda himself can answer."

Johnny rolled his eyes and made his way towards the front door. He opened it, a little surprised to find the scene in front of him. Two cops stood outside the Curtis' porch and Johnny instantly felt uneasy. Never were cops a good thing. They hated kids like him, Pony, and rest of the gang and it surely wasn't a good sign that they were at the doorstep.

Ponyboy closed his book. _What did Soda do?_ He thought to himself. The thirteen year old threw the book onto the couch and got up to the door, standing behind his best friend feeling slightly annoyed but very worried about his older brother.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. Should I continue writing the other chapters or just delete?**

 **-Michelle Loves Chocolate 99**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you everyone for your support! Much appreciated!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Outsiders.**

* * *

 **Frigid**

 **2**

"Good evening."

The freezing cold air poured into the warm home as the front door hung open. Johnny was just as confused as Ponyboy and not entirely sure what to say. He was fifteen years old though; he was more adult than Ponyboy and knew he should speak up.

"H-hello, officers," Johnny stuttered but tried to be polite. He was ultimately scared of the fuzz and never really had a real encounter with them. Dally, Steve, Two-Bit, Soda, and even Darry did, but not him and Ponyboy. Apparently it's true that there's a first time for everything. "Can I help you?"

The officers looked at each other; their eyes almost seemed to exchange words. The freezing breeze filled Johnny's bones and the hope that this would end soon made his anxiety raise. It was cold, it was awkward, it was suspenseful. He just wanted to be able to close the door.

"Is there anyone older around?"

Johnny looked over at Ponyboy, who looked just as nervous about the cops as he was. "His parents are out with friends and his brother is also out with some friends. Is there something wrong, officers?"

The of the cops ran his hand down his face and turned his attention towards Ponyboy. "You live here?"

Pony nodded his head.

"Kid, is there anyone you could call? Someone who's older?"

"Wa-why does he have to do that?" Johnny butted in, but the officers merely ignored the question.

"Could you call them?"

Ponyboy walked away from the door went into the kitchen, leaving Johnny alone with the cops.

"So… uh, do you want to come inside?"

oOo

The air smelt of weed and alcohol and everyone held some sort of drink in their hands. The music blasted and her lips brushed against his cheek. Life was great. He had a full ride scholarship, he was on the football team, and he also had a beautiful girlfriend. The world was his and he was enjoying every bit of it.

"You know, I don't really understand why you like going to these things." Wendy's voice was gentle and soft, but filled with life. She brushed her hair behind her ears and drowned the remains of her cup. She leaned up closer to Darry's chest, placing her hand on his shirt. She kissed his cheek once again.

"Why don't we leave?" she whispered warmly into his ear.

Darry chuckled and lightly pushed her off. He grabbed her empty cup and placed it inside of his. "Fifteen more minutes. It's barely even 11:30."

"Fifteen minutes," Wendy gave Darry a wink and stood up from the couch, making her way towards a group of girls on the other side of the room.

"Damn." Eric Jones took his spot where Wendy once sat a few seconds prior. "I'm jealous of you, man."

Eric was a strong guy, with dark hair and dark eyes. He was the wide receiver for the school's football team and was ultimately Darry's best pal in college.

"I hear Rhonda's had her eye on you for a couple weeks now."

"Yeah, man, but Rhonda ain't no Wendy. She's still waitressing at the Gloria's Diner. I go there every Sunday and I swear she always makes an effort to make sure she waits me."

Darry fiddled with the empty cups in his hands. "Maybe you should give her a chance. Rhonda's a nice girl. There's nothing terribly wrong with her."

Eric raised his eyebrow. "The day I ask Rhonda out is the day you teach Wendy to fly."

Darry stood up from the couch, looking at his friend with a mischievous grin. "Well, I guess Rhonda's dream's 'bout to come true," Darry said with a wink.

Eric mimicked his smile. "Then what are you doing here still, Curtis? Get. Do you what ya gotta do."

"And you do something about Rhonda."

"Hey, now. I'll be nice to Rhonda. Have fun, Peter Pan. Don't grow up too fast now."

oOo

It was nearly midnight when Darry stumbled into the small room that was his. His roommate was never around and right now Darry appreciated the privacy he had more than anything.

Wendy's legs were wrapped around his torso, with her lips warm were pressed against his neck. Darry tried to lightly shut the door behind him but it resulted in a slam and he didn't really care. His hand traveled higher up her thigh as he carried her closer to his bed, kissing her lips with wild passion.

Darry placed her on top of the bed and hovered over her. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Wendy nodded her head, running her hands down his torso in search for the end of his t-shirt. Darry helped her tug it off over his head and then resumed kissing her while unbuttoning her pink blouse.

The phone rang and both of them came to halt. They looked over at the table with the ringing device.

"Who's calling after midnight?"

"Just ignore it, Wendy." Darry carried on with his actions as the phone rang in the background, but Wendy gently pushed off.

"No, I think you should get that, Darry."

Darry pushed himself off her body. "Okay."

Wendy sat up on the bed, leaving her shirt unbutton and chest exposed, patiently waiting for her boyfriend to answer the phone and quickly say goodbye. She twirled her hair in awkwardness and quietly listened.

"Ponyboy, what do you mean?" Darry's voice grew a little concern and Wendy perked up. She didn't know much about Darry's family. She knew his brothers both had odd names and the financial situations weren't the best, but other than that, Darry didn't say much about it.

She watched Darry run a hand down his face and she decided it was time to button her shirt back up. Her boyfriend's voice grew quieter on the phone, making it harder to listen in.

Darry hung the phone up and grabbed his shirt off of the bed. "I have to drive home."

"To Tulsa?"

"Yeah, can you get a ride home?"

Wendy nodded her head. "What's wrong? Can I come with you?"

Darry shook his head. "I'm sorry, baby for cutting the night short. I promise I'll make it up to you, but you can't come with me. I promise you'll get to meet my family soon."

"What's going on, Darry?"

"I'm not sure. I think one of my brother's is in trouble and my parents out for the night."

Wendy walked up to Darry, pressing her lips on his cheek. "Drive safe. Call me in the morning?"

"Of course."

oOo

Soda felt the alcohol beginning to hit his system as he drank the remainder of his cup. Usually he didn't drink, and if he did, it wasn't much. Tonight just wasn't a usual night though. He beat Steve for the first time in a race and it deserved some sort of celebration.

"Okay, Sodapop, let's lay off the vodka and focus on the soda. You're parents are going to kill you when you get home like this." Steve took the empty cup out of Soda's hands.

"Shit, what time is it?"

Steve pointed to the clock on the wall. "Read it yourself. We're fine. It's 12:30. You're parents are even going to be home for another half an hour and we're only down the street."

Evie walked up to the two boys with her friend Sandy not too far behind her. "Stevie!"

The drunk girl grabbed Steve's arm and dragged away to an empty part of the room and Sandy awkwardly took her seat next to Soda. Soda awkwardly smiled at the stranger. Probably wasn't best for him to talk to her while tipsy.

"What's your name again? Two-bit?"

"Sodapop, but you can call me Soda."

Sandy gave Soda a slight smile. "Well, Sodapop, pass me that bottle."

Soda poured half of what remained into his cup before giving the bottle to Sandy. Pony was probably pissed that he was late, but at this point of the night, Soda didn't really care. As long as he got back before his parents, things would be fine. It was a great night and he was only down the street. What was the worst thing that could happen?

"Are you not even going to mix that?"

Sandy gave him a mischievous smile, taking a drink straight out of the bottle "Of course I'm going to mix it."

Soda didn't really realize how drunk the blonde was until she pressed her lips against his. Her lips attacked him, and he slowly began to attack back. This night just couldn't get any better for him.

oOo

"Soda." Two-Bit was the only one Soda knew who had a abnormally high tolerance to alcohol. They've been hanging out in Tim Shepard's basement for a few hours now doing nothing but drinking booze, playing pool, hanging with girls, and consuming even more alcohol, and Two-Bit Mathews was still in good shape. Soda on the other hand was more than just a little bit tipsy.

He pushed Sandy off his body and looked up at his friend. "Wha-?"

"It's almost two in the morning. What are you still doing here?"

Soda almost sobered up immediately. "Shit! Steve was supposed to-"

"Stevie and Evie left like an hour ago."

"Shit!"

oOo

Soda stumbled into a well lit house with Two-Bit behind him. The house was eerily quiet for the lights to be on. His dad hated lights being on when it wasn't necessary. Ponyboy must have left them on for him.

"You're parents still aren't back?" Two-Bit whispered, shutting the door behind him.

"I guess not. Shit, Two-Bit, I promised Johnny I'd be home by eleven so his parents wouldn't be pissed."

"I'm sure they didn't even notice. Mind if I crash here for the night?"

"Go ahead. Good night."

"Nighty night, sweet cheeks."

* * *

 **I didn't proof read this as much as I would have liked. I just really wanted to get it published, so I apologize for errors. On another note, I hope this chapter pleases your eye. It's so hard to write stories prior to the book since we really don't know the characters prior to the event. But I do hope you enjoyed it! I'll try to update soon.**

 **Side question: DO you guys want longer chapters, or is this an acceptable length? Longer chapters will require more time to write compared to a chapter that's between 1500-2000. Please let me know what you guys would like to see!**

 **-MLC99**


	3. Chapter 3

**Firstly, I'm sorry it took so long. I had finals and final projects, and then I had surgery done and then Christmas happened, and then I had to go back to school... and yeah. Life is crazy. This chapter is somewhat short. I did have a lot of trouble writing it, so I apologize in advance for the awkwardness. Personally, I prefer to write in first person, but I didn't think first would suit this story, so I struggled a little.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 **Frigid**

 **3**

Darry stared down at his hands. The hospital waiting room was brightly lit and obnoxiously quiet at two in the morning. He was tried. He was confused. He just wanted answers.

Looking over at his youngest sibling, bothered him. He struggled to keep his eyes opened in the bright room, but the eagerness and worriedness was definitely apparent on the youngster's face. Looking at Ponyboy just made him more worried. All Darry and Pony knew was that there was an accident involving a drunk driver. Who was drunk, Darry didn't know. Who was all injured, Darry didn't know. How bad are the injuries? Darry didn't know and neither did his brother. The situation bothered him more than anything else had. He just wanted answers, but he wasn't being provided them.

"Why don't you take a nap, Pony," Darry nudged his younger brother. "Everything's fine. Doctors are just notorious at being slow and delivering information."

Ponyboy wiggled in his chair. Darry didn't even get a reply out of the kid. He never seemed to understand his youngest sibling. Of course, he loved the kid to death, but he could never quite figure him out.

Ponyboy was intelligent. He was also very a decent athlete. But he got lost in his mind all the time, and Darry just couldn't grasp that. Creativity was not a characteristic of Darry and trying to understand it was just different. Not to mention the kid kept things to himself a lot. He was just so quiet sometimes. How his parents managed to work around raising Ponyboy always amused Darry; at least they were able to understand his mind.

"Everything's going to be okay, kiddo."

Suddenly, a man walked into the waiting room. Darry felt relieved. Finally, he was going to get an answer and then he could go back to the house soon.

"Curtis?"

Unfortunately. Darry found his hopes to not be true.

oOo

Car wreck.

Drunk driver.

Ice.

Hill.

Lake.

Gone.

Ponyboy could almost visualize it perfectly. It all rang through his ears as he listened closely to a conversation he was not supposed to be listening too. He felt uncomfortable and sick.

How could this have happened? Why did it even have to happen?

The shock just didn't feel real. It wasn't real. It couldn't have been. Could it?

Ponyboy just sank deeper into his chair. Darry and the doctor's voices continued, but his thoughts seemed louder.

Darry seemed to disappear for a while and Ponyboy barely noticed he came back.

"Pony, let's go home." Darry's voice was different. It was hollow and dull. It was a voice and a sentence Ponyboy would never forget.

Getting to the car was vague. But before Ponyboy new it, they were half way back to the house. The sun was starting to peak over the horizon, but Ponyboy wasn't even tired at this point.

"Darry." It was the first word to come out of his mouth for a while. "What are we going to do?"

Darry kept his eyes on the snowy roads ahead of him, both hands clenching the wheel, not in anger, but in worry. Pony was able to see the glassiness in his oldest brother's eyes despite the darkness and the side view.

"I… I have no idea."

oOo

The sun had began to peer through the blinds on the window. Two-Bit rolled over to shield his eyes from the light of a new day on the couch, trying his best to sleep off the alcohol from hours before. The only thing about sleeping over at the Curtis' house was the fact that there were plenty of early risers. Mrs. Curtis always cooked breakfast on the weekends right before Mr. Curtis went to work. Two-Bit knew he'd be woken up from the smell of eggs and the clamming sounds of pans shortly, but he wanted to soak in every last moment of sleep he could get.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The front door came open and in his half consciousness, Two-Bit watched Ponyboy stumble into the house.

"What are you doing up at this hour, Horseman?"

Two-Bit figured he was out watching the sunrise despite how cold it was. The sunrise was always Ponyboy's favorite thing. Something about a fresh start to a new day or something. Two-Bit never fully understood, but he at least tried to.

Ponyboy just kept walking straight toward his bedroom leaving the front door completely opened and letting the frigid air inside the house.

"Well, this is just rude."

The greaser shoved the blankets off of his body and leaped off the couch to close the opened door, but was instantly met with Darry's chest as he made his way through the entry. Two-Bit rubbed his eyes.

"Either I need to stop drinking, or you missed me too much and decided you needed a Two-Bit fix. What are you doing back home, Darry? Didn't you just start the new semester?"

"Two-Bit, I'm not in the mood right now."

He could see something was different about his older friend, but he couldn't quite figure it out. It just wasn't right. It was almost cold, but fragile. Darry was never the fragile type. Two-Bit had never seen his friend this way before.

"Ya know, you Curtis's really have a way with words. It's quite charming."

"Go home, Keith."

"Hey now, what's the matter?"

Darry looked at Two-Bit in a way he never looked at him before. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Just go home."

"I can't go home. My heats not working. My momma was late on a payment."

"Then go to Steve's."

"I can't. He was with Evie last night. I ain't going to get my head bashed by disturbing him."

"Whatever."

Darry pushed his friend to the side, and began his way toward is bedroom, but Two-Bit grabbed a hold of his arm before he could make it out of the living room.

"Darrel. Seriously, what's the matter?"

The older greaser shook off Two-Bit's grip, and sighed. He looked him in the eyes and Two-Bit felt weird. He knew something was up, and he suddenly hated himself for questioning and begging his friend for answers.

"There was an accident last night. My mom and dad didn't survive."

The words nearly knocked him off of his feet as if they hit him like a tornado. He never imagined that would happen. It was shocking and almost unreal. He didn't really know what to say next.

"Dar-"

"Seriously, Two-Bit. Get the fuck out. Please."

Two-Bit grabbed his coat off the couch slowly. "I'm so sorry, Darry."

oOo

The house was unsatisfyingly quiet when Soda woke up. His head throbbed from the night before and all he wanted was a hamburger and more sleep. He look at the clock on the wall. It was past eleven. That was odd. His mother usually had him out of bed by eight to eat breakfast.

Soda rubbed his eyes and rolled himself off of his bed. His head throbbed with every movement. Why did he have to drink last night? Why didn't anyone stop him? His mom was not going to be thrilled by this.

The sixteen year old made his way to the kitchen, only to find his oldest brother sitting at the kitchen table with a coffee mug in front of him. At first, Soda didn't find this weird, but after a few more seconds, and a few more throbs in his head, he realized Darry left to go back to school a week ago.

"Darry, what are you doing here?"

Darry didn't reply, and Soda rolled his eyes, making his way to the fridge in search for something to eat to help with the hangover.

"Did mom go grocery shopping?"

No answer.

"Darry, did mom go to the store?"

His older brother looked down into this coffee cup as Soda was starting to get annoyed by this behavior.

"Dar-"

"No." Darry's voice was very empty and vague. Sodapop almost didn't recognize it because it was so dull. "She did not go to the store."

Soda shut the fridge door. He was just going to have to settle with toast.

"Did she have to work today?" Soda asked while putting his bread into the toaster.

No reply.

"So what brings you back home, Dar?"

"Where were you last night?"

The sudden question by his brother stunned him. _Is that why he's avoiding my questions? He's mad at me for not being home? He doesn't even live here!_

"I was at Tim Shepard's. What's it to you?"

"Soda, sit down." Darry's voice was soft and light, which was odd to Soda. He grabbed his toasted bread and a jar of grape jelly and sat down in front of his brother.

"I don't know how to say this, Sodapop."

Soda scraped the jam onto his toast before taking a bite. His throbbing head craved the food in front of him more than he realized.

"What's up?"

Darry played with his coffee cup, spinning the ceramic piece around in circles against the table. He let out a sigh and looked at his brother. This was the first time Soda had seen Darry's eyes since he walked into the kitchen.

"Last night…" Darry shook his head. "Soda, there was an accident. Mom and Dad were hit by a drunk driver. They… they didn't make it."

Sodapop dropped his toast onto the table. It was almost as if his body froze in time. His heart stopped beating. His head stopped throbbing. Everything just stopped for a moment.

"Soda? It's going to be okay." Darry's voice was vague and he could barely hear it. It was almost as if his brother was miles away.

"Soda, can you hear me?"

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed, and again, I apologize for taking a while to update. I also apologize for any errors as I only revised this once!**

 **-Michelle Loves Chocolate 99**


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